No mud,
no lotus.
Thich Nhat Hanh

And no rain, no mud.

It feels like I’m slogging through a lot of mud just now–and there’s no end in sight.

May my path be furrows; let the flowers come in spring.

The lotus pictured is by Leslie Rinchen-Wongmo, one of the only westerners trained in the rare Buddhist art of silk applique thangkas. His Holiness the Dalai Lama gave his blessings to Leslie’s work and encouraged her to make images that speak to the spiritual aspirations of people across religions and cultures.